Andy said he picked this injury up during the Fed match. Nothing too serious but it made his leg feel 'tight'. Actually between this and the blisters it was truly amazing that Andy was able to move around the court and even serve as well as he did.

As for the feather - I don't think Andy removing it was the problem but the fact that, as he said later, he thought about whether he should do so or not, so it seems to me that it was the thinking rather than taking spontaneous action which did the damage. Oddly enough it was a white feather, considered by many to be a sign of cowardice, but there was nothing in the least cowardly about Andy's performance.

As for the heckler - I'm not sure what powers umpires have in these situations. Can they order a spectator to be removed by security guards even if it means holding up play for a few minutes? If they can then this one was pretty negligent. If they can't then surely the security people themselves should have taken the law into their own hands and ejected him from the arena? From what I saw there seemed to be plenty of them around and so it should have been easy to identify the culprit.

I didn't hear Andy say he'd picked up the hamstring injury during the Fed match, but I'm not surprised. I was anxious for him (I really must stop this urge to mother the man lol) when he took that fall during that one. He went down with quite a bang. It looked like he landed on his hip, so I was relieved when he got up, played well again and won anyway.

I just thought the feather was a distraction more than anything. I still wonder if Andy thought Djokovic might suggest it had distracted him when Andy served, so he moved it just in case.

I think the umpire can have people removed, can't they? I think a player can also be penalised if it is thought their supporters hindered the other player too, not that I'm suggesting that should have happened. I actually thought the umpire was a bit useless all around to be honest, and Andy was quite restrained when he had a go at him.

Oh I think I want to cry! What a good piece. I like it, because it isn't taking the view of Andy being a 'valiant loser', if I can phrase it like that. It gives Djokovic the respect he deserves, whilst also making it abundantly clear how things could have been different in the final, and also looking at he bigger picture of how far Andy has come over time and what could lie ahead.

It's interesting to see mention of Nadal in the piece. I have to say that when Andy and Rafa meet on the court again it could be fascinating. I think Rafa will be very surprised by the change in Andy.

I didn't hear Andy say he'd picked up the hamstring injury during the Fed match, but I'm not surprised. I was anxious for him (I really must stop this urge to mother the man lol) when he took that fall during that one. He went down with quite a bang. It looked like he landed on his hip, so I was relieved when he got up, played well again and won anyway.

I didn't hear him say that either, but this is what was reported - "Murray said a 'misstep' returning a Federer serve in the semifinals led to a strained hamstring, though since he did not identify the incident, it's not clear if that was a stumble or just a lunge." http://espn.go.com/tennis/aus13/story/_/id/8890504 And I admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw him fall.

Quote

I just thought the feather was a distraction more than anything. I still wonder if Andy thought Djokovic might suggest it had distracted him when Andy served, so he moved it just in case.

The trouble is that Andy is too easily distracted - something he's going to need to overcome - and losing concentration in a TB is not recommended!

Quote

I think the umpire can have people removed, can't they? I think a player can also be penalised if it is thought their supporters hindered the other player too, not that I'm suggesting that should have happened. I actually thought the umpire was a bit useless all around to be honest, and Andy was quite restrained when he had a go at him.

I'm sure the umpire can, and I seem to recall at least one player's father being ejected from an arena for causing a nuisance. You're right about the penalty too. Djokovic's camp used to be really noisy during matches - and I remember the time Federer got so annoyed he turned to them and told them to 'shut up!' - but they've been a bit quieter of late, so maybe Djokovic had a word with them. After all no player wants to lose valuable points thanks to their obstreperous supporters.

Hello caroline, scotnadian, Aileen and Littlebuddha - thank you for the welcome.

I actually made this account here a few years ago and posted a couple of times but then retreated back into my shell and just read all the comments you guys make. I thought it was high time I got involved!

I think the problem with Nadal has always been mostly mental. Andy has too much respect for him.

I agree with that, although Andy playing passively, as he used to, wouldn't have helped.

I think the respect thing is similar with Djokovic to be honest. I wouldn't suggest I'd want Andy to not get on with him, but I must admit that I don't think a bit of distance between them would do any harm, especially now.

I think the difference in Andy when he plays Federer is obvious. It seems clear to me that though Andy respects what Federer has done, there doesn't appear to be much love lost between them - which in Andy's case I get completely lol. So, it means that Andy can go out, play, and win, and enjoy doing it. I think that semi at the AO was brilliant, not just because of how Andy played, but because there definitely seemed to be an atmosphere between the two of them. It made for an exciting match.